Tim Commerford
- Actor
- Composer
- Writer
Tim Commerford was born in 1968 to a an aerospace engineer father and a
mathematican mother. His dad worked on NASA's space shuttles. Tim is
the youngest of 5 children. He grew up in Orange County,
California.While attending grade school in his hometown, Irvine, Tim
met Zach de la Rocha. Tragically, Tim's mother was diagnosed with
cancer when he was a small child. His father divorced her while she was
ill and she was compelled to live with Tim's sister in Sacremento. His
father then remarried, leaving the family in tatters. Tim lived with
his father and has said that he was abused as a child. When Tim was 15,
Zach turned him on to playing bass and Tim found an outlet in music. A
huge hip hop fan and jazz fan, Tim counted Cypress Hill and NWA among
his early influences. When Zach crossed paths with Harvard educated
guitar virtuoso Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk, the quartet formed
the legendary rap metal outfit, Rage Against The Machine. With their
in-your-face politics and bombastic songs, RATM enjoyed and successful
career. Commerford established himself as a tour de force and won the
respect of his peers. His innovative cross-genre style placed him in a
league of his own. The group released 4 studio albums (Rage Against The
Machine, Evil Empire, The Battle of Los Angeles and Renegades) and
earned two Grammy awards before disbanding in 2000 when Zach left the
band to pursue a solo career. At Rick Rubin's suggestion the remaining
members of RATM jammed with former Soundgarden frontman and soloist
Chris Cornell. The result was so explosive that they decided to form a
new band, Audioslave, and released their debut album in November of
2002. Though Audioslave has been dubbed "the supergroup of the
millenium", they see themselves more as a "garage band". Audioslave are
enjoying a solid platinum status and a 13 week reign at the top spot on
Billboard's Rock chart. With his success in both Rage Against The
Machine and Audioslave, Tim is proof positive that lightening does
strike twice. Tim is married to his longtime girlfriend, Aleece, an
AIDS activist and medical professional. The couple have a son,
Xavier.
